South Korea’s women’s curling team endured a heartbreaking 7-10 loss to Canada in the final round of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic qualifying event at the Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium in Italy on January 19 (Korean time). Despite securing four victories earlier, the team failed to overcome a four-win gap, ending their Olympic journey.
Standings and Advancement
The competition marked South Korea’s first podium finish in eight years since 2018. Canada advanced to the semifinals alongside Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. South Korea recorded five wins and three losses against the United States (8-4 win), Italy (2-7 loss), England (3-9 loss), Denmark (6-3 win), Japan (5-7 loss), China (9-10 loss), Switzerland (7-5 win), and Sweden (3-8 loss). However, Canada topped the standings with Korea, leading to a decisive showdown.
Intense Match Momentum Shift
The match extended to 10 full ends due to a 30-minute delay from a controversial ruling. South Korea seized an early lead, scoring one point in the first end. They suffered a steal in the second end, trailing 0-2. A comeback in the third end saw Kim Min-ji deliver a clutch ‘gut shot’ on the final stone, securing three points for a 3-2 advantage.
Canada responded aggressively, scoring two points in the fourth end to lead 4-2. South Korea equalized at 4-4 with one point in the fifth end during an extra end exchange. The turning point came in the sixth end, where Canada’s ace shot cleared all Korean stones on the seventh throw. Korea’s final stone inflicted minimal damage, allowing Canada to steal four points and surge to an 8-4 lead.
Late Rally Falls Short
South Korea narrowed the gap to 5-8 with one point in the seventh end’s extra exchange. Canada extended the lead to 9-5 by scoring once more in the eighth end’s extra end. Despite calling a timeout in the ninth end’s extra exchange, Korea managed only two points, falling two short. Canada sealed the victory with a one-point steal in the final end.
Officers noted the emotional weight of the defeat, with tears evident after the pivotal sixth end. South Korea fought valiantly but could not clinch the win needed for advancement.
